2021 - Uprisings and wars. The Milanese archives during the Napoleonic era
Two hundred years from the death of Napoleon, the State Archive of Milan has organised an exhibition dedicated to the archival consequences of that “memorable whirlwind that came down from the Alps”, as he was described many years later by the director of the Lombard government archives, Giuseppe Viglezzi. While Italy was invested by the impetuous advance of the troops led by General Bonaparte, a more silent battle was beginning in the confined spaces of the archives - one which would have lasting effects in time. Over a period of a quarter of a century, from 1796 to 1821, many Italian archives were subject to looting, sudden transfers, mergers and divisions, a result of the various conflicts that marked the Napoleonic era and the first years of the Restoration.
The exhibition examines four connected narratives, each one associated with a colour.
- The historic context that forms the backdrop to the affairs of the archive, indicated in yellow and introduced through a simple chronology, is illustrated by Maria Pia Bortolotti with a selection of documents of great symbolic significance: finely decorated letterheads to celebrate the beginning of a new era of equality and liberty, monument projects and prints dedicated to the celebration and fall of the emperor, seals and lots of other rare pieces taken from our most precious archives.
- In the red section, Marco Lanzini will lead us on a discovery of the internal vicissitudes of the Archive, showing us all the contradictions of a period in which the Institution, still to shake off its ancient reputation as a secret archive, sought to open itself up to a new audience of scholars and academics.
- Lanzini is also the curator of the green section, dedicated to the various trials and tribulations of the documents during this time of upheaval. The exhibition reveals how boxes full of documents were transferred continuously between Venice, Paris, Vienna and many other Italian and European cities - different stages marked variously by French triumphs and defeats - on a journey in which Milan emerged as an important staging post.
- Our story fittingly concludes with the exile of its main protagonist on the isolated island of Saint Helena. In the final room of the exhibition, blue in colour, Carmela Santoro tells us about the curious fate of three locks of Napoleon’s hair, confiscated in 1817 from Natale Santini, a valet of his who had arrived in Italy with this singular “memento”. The hair subsequently became part of the archive file on the investigations on Santini, passed down to us as part of the Government Administration archive. An ironic twist of fate for Napoleon, his locks ending up “archived” among the very same documents which he had owned for almost fifteen years.
During the guided tours held to mark the opening of the exhibition on Sunday 10 October, famous personalities from the past will accompany visitors as they make their way round the exhibits. History comes to life at the State Archive!
Free visits to the opening of the exhibition can be booked at Eventbrite:
https://bit.ly/PrenotazioneMostraAsmi
Visiting times: 3, 4, 5 and 6 p.m.
It will be possible to visit the exhibition free of charge until 31 January by making reservations at Eventbrite:
https://bit.ly/PrenotazioneMostraAsmi
On the following days:
- Thursday and Friday, at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., with the “book your guided tour of the exhibition during your lunch break” formula.
Special openings for the FAI Autumn Days:
- Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 October, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., booking at: https://www.fondoambiente.it/il-fai/grandi-campagne/giornate-fai-autunno/ (link active from Friday 8 October)
Other special openings will be communicated in advance in the news section of the State Archive website. Organised by the State Archive of Milan, the exhibition forms part of the programme of initiatives held by the Napoleon Bicentennial Committee (www.napoleone21.eu) with the support of media partners Rai Storia and Rai Cultura.
Last updated: 24/05/2024
